Well, I'm more into creating ebooks and recently even courses (and that's all kind), having already 39 ebooks on Amazon (and 1 on Gumroad).
Writing newsletter would remind me more to Medium, where I was getting usually 50 or 100 times more likes and also comments, as I get here on Substack (most of notes never get even a like, no comments either, etc.).
And the notes should be more like a window into the posts, which I also already stopped to write, as it looks that nobody has even a second, to give a like to the note, so they probably won't read full articles then either.
So, as I see, facebook is the pool where people mostly like each others profile photos, where they don't need to think some more. And Substack is a pool where people are mostly trying to sell something to each other, mostly advices how to succeed to Substack (example would be 100 fishermen, trying to sell fishes to each other).
And when I look at my ebooks and courses, they are just none of these. :O
This is amazing info! This feature sounds vaguely familiar, but cannot say I was fully aware of it or how it worked. Off to identify great collab partners for this!
Is that really true, that you can recommend many Substacks but Substack only lists a selected rotating few at a time? So it really is ok to recommend a lot of Substacks (assuming they are good, of course!)
I appreciate that a lot! As my stack grows, I continue to find new accounts that I truly enjoy, both for quality and relevance for my own readers. So, knowing this, is very freeing, because I do not have to limit my Recs to a handful of special slots (I've been sending lots of subs to my Recs, so I know how valuable it is!)
Yes this is awesome info! I invite you to check out my profile & publication Brand Breakthrough Experience. Perhaps there is synergy for us to do cross-recommendation. I've worked with authors before.
I just had a major niche authority (@Anil Padmanabhan) restack my work, and I'm now looking to optimize the Recommendation Blurb to handle that incoming 'autopilot' traffic.
My question: For an author in launch week (my book The First Yes drops Saturday), is it better to use that tiny blurb space to pitch the Book search directly, or to pitch the gated resource (like the 3-Dial Audit PDF I'm dropping today) to ensure the email capture first?
I’m trying to find the sweet spot between building 'Search Velocity' on Amazon and building a long-term community. Would love your take on which 'blurb' style is winning in 2026! 🛡️🚀"
"Thanks for the support, Sinem and Jari! I’ve decided to go with the Gated Resource blurb for the Recommendation feature. In the 2026 Substack climate, Search Velocity on Amazon is great for a weekend ego boost, but Email Ownership is the only thing that survives the algorithm shifts. I'd rather capture 100 long-term readers who I can 'launch' to for the rest of my career than 1,000 one-off buyers who I can never find again. Would love to know if you guys are seeing 'Lead-Gen Blurbs' outperforming 'Direct-Sales Blurbs' this year?"
Hello! I didn’t know we could select who we recommend since substack does it automatically (they choose from who I subscribe to, but not always stacks I would recommend to my readers ugh!). Do you know if there is a place I can see who is recommending me and who I am recommending?
It's not about the numbers game, it's about genuinely connecting with other creators and lifting each other up. When I recommend someone, I'm actually saying I trust their work enough to put it in front of MY audience.
Totally agree, one of strongest features on substack. By the way, are there any Tech & AI writers that interested in cross recommendations?
Hello there 👋🏽 I'm not specifically a tech writer. However AI is a key part of what I offer (including content). I'll send you a DM.
With "AI writer", do you mean someone who is writing about AI or someone who is using AI as a tool? ;)
The first one
This is such highly valuable and practical strategic advice on how to grow this platform. Thank you so much.
Thanks for the mention bud (and for the recommendations!) 🙏
🙏
Thank you for sharing. I have started reading Write. Build, scale. It's inspiring to know we can make a living by writing newsletter.
Absolutely! Substack makes it easier than most other places to make a living writing a newsletter.
Well, I'm more into creating ebooks and recently even courses (and that's all kind), having already 39 ebooks on Amazon (and 1 on Gumroad).
Writing newsletter would remind me more to Medium, where I was getting usually 50 or 100 times more likes and also comments, as I get here on Substack (most of notes never get even a like, no comments either, etc.).
And the notes should be more like a window into the posts, which I also already stopped to write, as it looks that nobody has even a second, to give a like to the note, so they probably won't read full articles then either.
So, as I see, facebook is the pool where people mostly like each others profile photos, where they don't need to think some more. And Substack is a pool where people are mostly trying to sell something to each other, mostly advices how to succeed to Substack (example would be 100 fishermen, trying to sell fishes to each other).
And when I look at my ebooks and courses, they are just none of these. :O
Thank you for reading!
This is amazing info! This feature sounds vaguely familiar, but cannot say I was fully aware of it or how it worked. Off to identify great collab partners for this!
Love that you're taking action on it right away!
Thanks for the information. Great to know.
Is that really true, that you can recommend many Substacks but Substack only lists a selected rotating few at a time? So it really is ok to recommend a lot of Substacks (assuming they are good, of course!)
Yes, it is! It's designed in a smart way so as not to overwhelm new subscribers with dozens (or even hundreds) of newsletter recommendations.
I appreciate that a lot! As my stack grows, I continue to find new accounts that I truly enjoy, both for quality and relevance for my own readers. So, knowing this, is very freeing, because I do not have to limit my Recs to a handful of special slots (I've been sending lots of subs to my Recs, so I know how valuable it is!)
Yes this is awesome info! I invite you to check out my profile & publication Brand Breakthrough Experience. Perhaps there is synergy for us to do cross-recommendation. I've worked with authors before.
I took a look at your stack, and I have messaged you! :)
agree
I just had a major niche authority (@Anil Padmanabhan) restack my work, and I'm now looking to optimize the Recommendation Blurb to handle that incoming 'autopilot' traffic.
My question: For an author in launch week (my book The First Yes drops Saturday), is it better to use that tiny blurb space to pitch the Book search directly, or to pitch the gated resource (like the 3-Dial Audit PDF I'm dropping today) to ensure the email capture first?
I’m trying to find the sweet spot between building 'Search Velocity' on Amazon and building a long-term community. Would love your take on which 'blurb' style is winning in 2026! 🛡️🚀"
I'd use it to pitch the gated resources first, so you capture emails. After you have emails, you can pitch your book!
"Thanks for the support, Sinem and Jari! I’ve decided to go with the Gated Resource blurb for the Recommendation feature. In the 2026 Substack climate, Search Velocity on Amazon is great for a weekend ego boost, but Email Ownership is the only thing that survives the algorithm shifts. I'd rather capture 100 long-term readers who I can 'launch' to for the rest of my career than 1,000 one-off buyers who I can never find again. Would love to know if you guys are seeing 'Lead-Gen Blurbs' outperforming 'Direct-Sales Blurbs' this year?"
Will do this, thanks
Thanks for sharing the insights.
You presentation was very smooth and nice. Thank you.
Thanks, Jimmy! :)
Thanks for sharing the features.
Thank you.
Hello! I didn’t know we could select who we recommend since substack does it automatically (they choose from who I subscribe to, but not always stacks I would recommend to my readers ugh!). Do you know if there is a place I can see who is recommending me and who I am recommending?
Thanks! Very helpful.
YES this is exactly how I approach Threads too!
It's not about the numbers game, it's about genuinely connecting with other creators and lifting each other up. When I recommend someone, I'm actually saying I trust their work enough to put it in front of MY audience.
That reciprocal energy is everything.